


Disasters, large and small

by JayTheCappy



Series: Green Beans [1]
Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley, The Glass Scientists (Webcomic), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: M/M, no betas we die like men, pale bros, they're moirails and no one can convince me otherwise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:28:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27663383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayTheCappy/pseuds/JayTheCappy
Summary: Hyde gets his ass kicked and the Creature helps him get home.
Relationships: The Creature/Edward Hyde (The Glass Scientists)
Series: Green Beans [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023141
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Disasters, large and small

**Author's Note:**

> Don't look at me and tell me that the Creature wouldn't immediately pick up on Hyde's attitude towards Jekyll and go "Oh, you too?" He's gonna protect this weird excitable gremlin even if he's gotta threaten him to do it.

The streets of London were not the sort of place you wanted to be at night, even at the best of times. It takes a quick wit and a sharp eye to keep ahead of the pickpockets and hustlers, and more than one man has found a simple misstep to be his final mistake. Not so lucky, the shadow of London tonight; hunched up against a wall in a back alley as he nurses a rib that’s likely broken. It was a nasty crowd that caught him unawares, not as large as it’ll be when he tells the story to Rachel, but large enough to get him off balance and on the ground. You don’t make a game of harassing merchants without making a few enemies, and his now-aching side had become very well acquainted with several large and heavy boots.

He needed to get a move on before any cops got it in their heads to check around the scene of the scuffle. Distantly, he could hear Henry prattling away in his head, voice strung high and tight with worry, but the ringing in his ears was making it hard to tell words apart. Slowly, gingerly, Hyde took a deep breath. And another. He lurched back, trying to use the wall for leverage to haul himself to his feet. He made it, just barely, leaning back against the cold brick as he let his breath slip out in a low, pained hiss. Roof hopping was definitely not going to be a part of tonight’s plan.

The way home was slow and miserable, sticking to back streets and ducking away into the shadows every time footsteps strayed too near. The ache in his side dulled, fading out at the edges to become a viscous, all-encompassing exhaustion. It clung to his heels with every limping step, dragging him down towards the pavement. He had to keep moving. If he hit the ground again, he knew he might not make it back to his feet.

“-and I told you, I _told you_ this was a terrible idea. How will we explain this? How am I supposed to-”

“God, shut uuup,” Hyde whined, leaning against a nearby wall and resting his head against the stonework. The shadow beside him shifted in a flurry of furious indignity.

“No!” Jekyll shouted, “I warned you the night market was bad news, and you didn’t listen, and now look at you!” The good doctor was frantic with worry, pacing the length of the wall. “You broke my ribs!”

“I didn’t break shit,” he hissed, “They fought dirty, I-”

“ _You_ fight dirty, of course they ganged up on you!”

Hyde only snarled in response, jerking away from the wall and turning his back on his shadow. Squinting into the night, he nearly whined at the sight of the society’s walls, looming well into the skyline but still so far away. Jekyll drifted up beside him with a resigned sigh.

“One step at a time, then.” His voice was unusually gentle.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Hyde muttered, more by way of habit than actual irritation.

They had only managed to make it to the corner across from the entry when Hyde’s legs finally gave out, dropping him unceremoniously to his knees; a horrid breathless gasp tore from his lips as the shock of it set every ache alight. He listed to the side and rolled onto his back in the dirt, breathing fast and shallow through gritted teeth.

“Damn,” he spat. “Damn, damn, damn.”

“You need to get up.”

Hyde squeezed his eyes closed and just groaned. Faintly, the echo of footsteps broke the stillness of the night, and Jekyll’s voice took on a frantic edge.

“You need to get up, _now_.” Hyde cracked one eye open to glare with every ounce of vitriol he could manage.

“I would if I _fucking could_ ,” he hissed, instinctively gripping his side as it protested. The footsteps grew closer.

“Try!” Jekyll snapped. “Do you want to end up in a cell? Have another one of your ‘acquaintances’ find you like this? They could kill you!”

That hit a nerve; Hyde flinched, rolled onto his side, and focused on getting his breathing back under control. In and out, ignore the burning, push it away to deal with later. Slowly he got his free arm under himself and pushed, managing to get up onto his knees with his fist still braced against the ground. The world swam around him dizzily and he screwed his eyes shut against it.

“Could you use some help?”

“How the hell could you possibly-” he froze. That wasn’t Jekyll’s voice. His heart gave a kick of- not fear, of course it wasn’t fear, just surprise, he could handle this and he _wasn’t afraid_. Slowly, he looked up. And up, and up to the eyes of the figure looming over him.

“It seemed to me you were having some trouble,” the Creature said dryly. “I think I could manage to get you back home.”

Jekyll and Hyde both stared, struck dumb with surprise. The moment dragged on as the Creature stared right back, unblinking.

“I was managing,” Hyde lied. “Only had too much to drink, none’ve your business if I- if I…” He squinted, everything was starting to get fuzzy again. “... I can handle myself.” Jekyll gawked at him in disbelief.

“You foolish, arrogant lunatic!” he wailed, just as Creature said “I doubt that.”

Hyde positively bristled, drawing himself up to snarl a defense, but the night caught up with him all at once and he swooned, eyes closing as the pavement rushed up to meet him. He startled when he was met instead with a large, cold hand. The Creature knelt, slipping the other hand under Hyde’s legs and scooping him up easily, cradled against the Creature’s broad chest like an infant.

“How _dare you_ -” he hissed, arching his back in a futile effort to wriggle free. A low, bored sigh escaped the Creature and he tightened his grip, only trying to stop Hyde from kicking his way loose and tumbling to the ground. It was too much in his current state. Hyde gasped involuntarily as something in his side creaked in protest; a frightened whine slipped free as he froze like a beast in a snare, panicked and hurting but spent beyond struggle. The Creature’s expression never changed, but he relaxed his grip, setting off towards the society without a word.

Hyde stayed still and silent as he was carried around to the back of the building, his cloak wrapped snugly around him like a blanket. His heart rate had finally slowed as his body realized it may not actually be dying; the cold skin pressed against him was soothing the worst of the fire in his side. He was dangerously close to drifting off. The arms holding him were massive and secure; he could feel the muscles shift below the skin as the Creature adjusted his grip carefully, easing him into the crook of one arm so he could open the side door.

“I assume you would prefer not to be seen, given your current state.” The Creature didn’t look down as he let the door fall shut, instead checking the extensive hall for prying eyes. Hyde shifted, blinked, and went a bit warm at the thought. He put so much work into cultivating his air of invincibility; the idea that he could have it ruined so thoroughly by just one mistake was humiliating. He was _not_ to be pitied! He was a fearsome and vicious creature of darkness; he was owed every pleasure, owed everyone’s adoration! He was… Gods, but he was tired. His eyes slipped shut again and he turned his head to rest against the Creature’s chest. He could hear a heartbeat, just barely, so much slower than his own.

“Thanks.”

They stole through the halls, cast in silver by the moonlight. He did drift then, unconsciously timing his breathing to the slow and steady pulse as the Creature padded along. Up some stairs, through a doorway; he stopped following the path they were taking and sank deeper, let himself rest for just a moment. He startled slightly when the Creature coughed, just once. It took him a moment to realize they had stopped moving, to claw himself back up from the cloying pull of sleep. He managed to open one eye to work out where they were, and felt more than heard the startled noise Jekyll made.There was his own study, sprawled before them in all its catastrophic familiarity. Dread prickled up his spine.

“Why’d you… bring me here,” he slurred, shifting and wiping a hand across his eyes to clear the drowsiness from them. “This ain’t my room.”

The Creature gave him an odd look, held it far too long for his liking, then turned away.

“Of course not. Do you know where Dr. Jekyll might keep something to help with your injuries?” The Creature approached the glass cabinets, scanning them idly. He still hadn’t set Hyde down. “You are his assistant, after all.”

“Uh.” Hyde squinted at the mess of bottles before him.

“Laudanum,” Jekyll said, his reflection pointing to a caramel brown bottle on a high shelf. “We’ll need laudanum to dull the pain, then bed rest until the swelling subsides. Augh, my whole week will need to be rescheduled...” Hyde rolled his eyes and pointed to the bottle in question. The Creature lifted his arm slightly, stepping closer to the shelf. Hyde swatted at him.

“No, you’ll- you’ll just knock everything over. Your big stupid hands are the size of my whole head. Just…” He pulled a face. “Just lift me a little higher so I can reach.” He caught the small huff of laughter as the Creature lifted him and made a solemn vow to someday put fire ants in his trousers. He snatched the bottle and snarled “Put me down.”

“Are you sure you can stand?”

“Put me the fuck down or-” he cut off as he felt the Creature’s arms tense around him, slowly and meaningfully. He glanced up and found those stern, cold eyes staring him down again. Something in his gut did a wild little flip and he looked away. “Yeah. I can stand fine.”

He leaned heavily on the nearby desk as the Creature let him down to his feet. He swayed, but managed to stay upright, picking a graduated cylinder from the general clutter and carefully measuring out what Jekyll instructed. He sealed the bottle and left it among everything else; Jekyll could clean up his own damn office. He toyed with the cylinder a bit before throwing the Creature a lopsided grin and raising it in a toast. He tossed it back quickly.

“Eaugh!” He pulled a face, then stuck out his tongue. There it was again, that single quick exhale from the Creature. Hyde gingerly folded his arms over his chest, then glared just as hard as he could. All the Creature did was smile in response. Jerk.

“I’ll see myself out, then,” the Creature said, then turned and carefully made his way through the various piles on the floor. He paused halfway through the open door without looking back. “Try to be more careful, won’t you, Mr. Hyde? I’d hate to think what might become of Dr. Jekyll if anything were to happen to you.” The door snapped shut behind him, and Hyde sneered after it. Jekyll stood stock still in the mirror, face drawn with worry. It took him a minute to find his voice, and his eyes didn’t move from the door.

“You should sleep.”

Hyde picked his way through the clutter, muttering sarcastically, “Oh _do_ try to be more careful, Mis-ter Hyde.” He grabbed the spare blankets off of the back of the settee, balling it up under his head as he curled up on his good side. He pressed himself up against the back and as he drifted off, he dreamt he could still hear that reassuring heartbeat.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Boredom Strikes, Local Gremlin gets a Nap](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27672073) by [SkyRandomness1019](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyRandomness1019/pseuds/SkyRandomness1019)




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